Vimeo On Demand to Distribute New Kristen Bell Film

Vimeo's new On Demand service gets a boost from a group of Hollywood veterans who have decided to use the platform to launch a major film.

After years of skepticism and trepidation first displayed by the music industry, it finally appears that the film industry is ready to embrace the Internet. Case in point: Hollywood star Kristen Bell will star in the first major Hollywood film on Vimeo's new On Demand service.

Announced just last month, Vimeo On Demand lets film directors offer direct-to-fan distribution online. The service also gives directors the ability to set the exact pricing, design presentation, and international availability of their films. Like Amazon's e-book self-publishing set-up, the profits are weighted in the filmmaker's favor, with Vimeo allowing film producers to keep 90 percent of the revenue after transaction fees.

According to a report on Deadline, Some Girl(s), written by noted playright Neil LaBute and directed by film and television veteran Daisy von Scherler Mayer, had the opportunity to accept traditional Hollywood distribution, but the producers opted for the online route to avoid delays in getting the film to the public.

"What we're doing is scary but it gives us the power to completely control how we're marketing the movie, and we know the movie the best," Chris Schwartz, one of the film's producers, told Deadline. "Plus we'll still own the movie."

To promote the film, the producers are hoping to leverage Bell's massive online following, with a particular focus on her 1 million Twitter followers. While Vimeo already hosts an attractive menu of independent films through its On Demand service, Some Girl(s) appears to be the most high-profile production to try out the platform to date. The film will be available for streaming rental on Vimeo for $5 and for purchase for $10 with extras beginning June 28.

In other online movie-making news, actor Zach Braff recently launched a Kickstarter campaign for his next film, which has already topped its $2 million fundraising goal with 21 days to go.